In Florida, Gillum-DeSantis gubernatorial debate rises into a personal brawl

The final debate in the Florida governors' race was in an extraordinary, highly personal brawl on Wednesday night, when Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum made accusations about race and ethics in a showdown that revealed two candidates who really did not

At various times during the one-hour debate, DeSantis suggested that Gillum allow child molesters to roam Florida communities, while Gillum, who wants to become Florida's first black governor, accused DeSantis of being supported by neo-Nazis. [19659003] Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, also accused DeSantis, a former congressman, of being "disqualified" to run the state because he could not be trusted to tell the truth. DeSantis said Gillum was a liar and the corrupt mayor of a crime-ridden city.

The split debate aired nationwide comes less than two weeks before the November 6 elections and after more than 1

million Floridians have already spoken ballots in early polls. It also happened when the nation attempted to understand the discovery of pipe bombs sent to prominent Democratic leaders, including the office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) In Florida at Broward College in the Lauderdale near Fort was present

At the beginning of the debate, both candidates condemned the shipment of explosives

Gillum accused President Trump of exacerbating the nation's tensions, while DeSantis called on the Floridians not to rush their partisan ratings. DeSantis, who has worked closely with Trump, found that Steve Scalise (R-La.) Was shot dead last year when Republican members gathered in Alexandria, Virginia for baseball.

"I know firsthand that starting on this road can be very, very deadly," said DeSantis, who had been in the field.

The debate then shifted to new issues facing Gillum, with most surveys showing a small edge over DeSanti's ongoing investigation into Tallahassee's FBI corruption case

Gillum has repeatedly claimed that he is not a target of this investigation which at least partially seems to focus on the influence of developers in the city government. But on Tuesday, documents were released showing that a covert FBI agent posing as a real estate developer was offering Gillum a "Hamilton" ticket for the 2016 Broadway show.

Gillum apologized for not having asked any further questions about the origin of the ticket. He then tried to put the controversy aside by saying that there were even more pressing issues for Florida voters.

"I take responsibility for not asking any further questions," Gillum said. "But let me tell you, I'm running to the governor and we've got a lot of problems in the state of Florida, in fact we have 99 issues and Hamilton is not one of them."

DeSantis repeatedly tried to return the debate to the FBI But his efforts were quickly overshadowed by a series of lively discussions about immigration and the role the breed plays in the campaign.

In response to a question about a caravan of asylum seekers who wanted to enter Central America from the United States, DeSantis accused Gillum of supporting the Protectorates.

"Why do you let your dislike of the President knowingly endanger communities?" DeSantis asked. "We have to protect Floridians first, and I'll do that as governor."

Gillum denied DeSantis's "indictment," adding, however, that he would be a governor "who would not criminalize persons on their personality."

"Just because you're a brown-skinned person, or you speak a language that's foreign to Mr. DeSantis, or you live in a neighborhood that includes more brown people that are not exposing you to racial profiling," said Gillum ,

DeSantis responded by suggesting that Gillum be gentle even with pedophiles who are illegally in the country.

"Suppose you are convicted of child molestation, you are illegal here, you have served your sentence, will you hand them over to the ICE or not?" DeSantis asked.

"He will not commit to this and that means that child molesters will be left on the streets after serving their sentence, and guess what, the child molester will come back and somebody's son or daughter in Florida will be the prize for it pay, "said DeSantis to a mix of boos and cheers.

"Shame on you," Gillum interjected.

"How can we expect you to be honest with the people of the state of Florida when you're not on stage," Gillum added. "You can not be honest with them about my record or record, and they disqualify me from the governorship."

But the most emotional moment of the debate came after DeSantis was asked why he had four times since 2013 Conferences by David Horowitz, a conservative firebrand, has spoken that African Americans owe their freedom to white people and that the country's "only serious racial warfare" is against whites.

As presenter, news anchor Todd McDermott from Florida, he read Horowitz's flaring remarks that DeSantis was visibly upset. DeSantis interrupted McDermott before he could finish his question.

"How the hell should I know every single statement from someone," said DeSantis, a former prosecutor and veteran of the Iraq war, in an offended tone. "Let me just say that … When I was down ranked in Iraq, we worked together as a team, regardless of race, we had the American flag on our arm, we wore the same uniform and fought for the land. When I was a prosecutor, I campaigned for every race, color, and religion, which is the only way to do that in this country …

"But I will not bow to the altar of political correctness. I will not let the media pollute me, as they do with so many other people, and I'm not going to take anything from Andrew Gillum. "

Gillum replied, DeSantis" has neo-Nazis who help him in Florida. Gillum also noted that DeSantis accepted a $ 20,000 contribution from a man who recently used a racist reference to former President Barack Obama.

A white racist group based in Idaho sent Robocalls to the state that mocked Gillum.

I do not call Mr. DeSantis a racist, "Gillum said," I just say the racists believe he's a racist. "

DeSantis responded by accusing Gillum of" always sacrificing "

As both candidates rattle at times through heated exchanges, this seems unlikely The debate will play an important role in changing the running of the race, but the divisive tone could spew out independents, who account for about a quarter of Florida's 13 million registered voters

The two candidates also came across gun control over whether DeSantis and Republicans can be trusted to protect Floridians with pre-existing health conditions, and Gillum's plan to increase corporate taxation in DeSantis also kept his attacks on Gillum's record bouts in Tallahassee which, like many cities, has fought against an increase in homicides. [19659031] Gillum said that if DeSantis was so concerned in Tallahassee, the capital, he should reconsider his offer to the governor.

"I'd hate it if you're hurt," Gillum said.

Following the debate, DeSantis travels to Jacksonville on Thursday for a rally with Vice President Pence. Gillum will compete with US Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) In South Florida.